Sweet fresh figs poached in wine and juicy blackberries on top of fluffy whipped coconut milk make this an elegant, but easy, dessert.
This evening we went for a sunset walk, stopping to pick blackberries along the trails. In between mouthfuls, my mind kept flipping to the fresh figs I had picked up at the farmer's market earlier. Would figs be good with blackberries? Definitely. Figs poached in red wine with blackberries? No . . . Figs poached in blackberry wine? Even better . . . and I just happen to have a bottle of Blackberry Solero languishing in the cabinet.
So . . . I married these two summer favourites: sweet figs and juicy, slightly tart blackberries, and then put this dessert over the top by nestling all that freshly-picked fruit over a bed of lightly sweetened, fluffy whipped coconut milk. It was dead quiet around the dinner table until the first spoonfuls went in and the moans of ecstasy began. Gluten-free and dairy-free, these end-of-summer dessert of fresh figs poached in blackberry wine was a memory-maker.
Fresh Figs Poached in Blackberry Wine
Ingredients
- 12 fresh ripe figs
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 cup blackberry wine
- 1 - 2 fresh basil leaves
- pinch of sea salt
- 1 can full fat coconut milk, chilled overnight
- 1 tbsp pure maple syrup or honey
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Remove the stems from the figs. With a sharp knife, make two small crosswise cuts in the stem end. Place the figs in a small saucepan.
- In a measuring cup, dissolve 1 tablespoon sugar and a pinch of salt in 1 cup blackberry wine. Pour over the figs in the saucepan. Chiffonade the basil leaves and add to the saucepan. Allow to marinate at least one hour.
- Meanwhile, prepare the whipped coconut milk. Chill a medium mixing bowl. Remove the can of chilled coconut milk from the refrigerator. Carefully scoop out the hardened milk solids, reserving the liquid for another use, like adding to your morning smoothie. Beat with an electric mixer on high speed for 3 to 5 minutes until light and fluffy. Gently mix in sweetener and vanilla. Refrigerate until serving time.
- Place the saucepan of figs over low heat and bring to a simmer. Poach the figs for up to 5 minutes, depending on their size and degree of ripeness. Carefully remove the figs with a spoon and set aside. Increase the heat and let the wine mixture come to a boil. Reduce by half until it becomes a little syrupy. It will thicken a little as it cools.
- Spoon one half cup of the coconut cream into each of 4 serving dishes. Top with 3 figs and drizzle with a little bit of the cooled syrup. Garnish with a fresh basil leaf or a few fresh blackberries and serve.
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